The case is about the new Trumpington Community College, located in the center of the new Clay Farm urban extension to the south of Cambridge. The college was designed and built with strong sustainability in mind, featuring VELUX Modular Skylights. Aiming for an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating, sustainability drove every aspect of the college master plan, including a transport target for 90% of students to arrive by foot, bicycle or public transport.

Project Details

It is the first new secondary school in Cambridge for 50 years

Providing 750 places and specializing in science

It will meet the needs of this growing area, where 4,000 new homes will be built over the next ten years

Spaces can be adapted for different size groups, enabling individual learning

A specialist autism center

A sports center with a vast Astroturf area

After hours, the building’s facilities are opened up for use by the local community

The principal of the school was looking for a glazing solution that provided a sense of light and space minimizing glare in the open learning areas.

Externally, the wrapped façade reflects the interior overlapping floor plates. A science and outside learning terrace faces south, making the most of fine weather days for teaching and learning in the fresh air. The ‘school square’, a new public open space, faces the school and forms an attractive sequence of spaces flowing from the square into the building and out towards the south-facing terrace. The school is mainly clad in anodized aluminum, while the sports building is primarily brick, creating a textured interconnected aesthetic.

The future-proof design includes exposed concrete soffits providing thermal mass for cooling overnight, and cooler embedded pipework allowing activation for adaptation to future climate change. Renewable energy is provided by a ground source heat pump and PVs, and rainwater harvesting is also employed.

Light and fresh air fill the heart of the school thanks to the prolific use of VELUX Modular Skylights. Ventilation is primarily via this central space, where staff can remotely operate the motorised VELUX Modular Skylights whenever needed. Tempered air is also brought in through a buried labyrinth. Double-sided window glazing to classrooms also provides good natural daylight. The VELUX Modular Skylights promote the energy efficiency of the building and offer a robust life expectancy, helping to deliver on an excellent BREEAM rating.